Officials investigate claims U.S. Marines urinated on dead bodies

Kabul
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The U.S. Marine Corps has launched an investigation into a video surfaced on the internet which seems to show a group of Marines urinating on the bodies of three soldiers, possibly Taliban members.

The video source is unverified, while the identities of people are unknown. [Note: the embedded video includes graphic content and may be disturbing to some viewers]

The 40-second film was posted in Youtube and seen by the website TMZ, which stated that "the mystery person who posted the video included a caption that reads, " 'scout sniper team 4 with 3rd battalion 2nd marines out of camp lejeune peeing on dead talibans.' "

The footage shows unpleasant images and voices. One of the Marines jokes, "Have a great day buddy." A second man is heard saying, "Golden like a shower."

International Security Assistance Force spokesman Col. Gary Kolb promised that the necessary actions will be taken. "We recently became aware of an inappropriate video on a public website that appears to involve members of our military," said Col. Kolb from Kabul, Afghanistan. "We will not speculate on the details but will take all necessary actions to determine the facts."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a D.C.-based human rights group, condemned what it called "the apparent desecration of the dead."

"If verified as authentic, the video shows behavior that is totally unbecoming of American military personnel and that could ultimately endanger other soldiers and civilians," said CAIR in a statement. "We trust that this disturbing incident will be promptly investigated in a transparent manner and that appropriate actions will be taken based on the results of that investigation."